Second Best
by Neon Sakura
Summary: Nothing special. That's what he is. Because Sasuke-kun's still the best. ItaSaku
1. Eavesdropping

I don't own Naruto. This is my first fanfic so please be kind. Thank You. Oh, and please review.

_**Second Best**_

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"_The moon's so pretty!"_

"_And it's obviously prettier than you, ugly."_

"_Sakura-chan, I'll get the moon if you want! And then the stars and the clouds and then the-"_

"_I don't think you can do that, Naruto-kun."_

"_Heh! Just shup up, Sai!"_

"_But I think Sai is right. Naruto, how could you even do that, hmm?"_

"_Of course I can do that, Kakashi-sensei! I've got all the charms I need!"_

"_Oh?"_

"_Well, yeah!"_

"_Do you even have any?"_

"_Huh?"_

"_Neh, Sasuke-kun?" _

"_What?"_

"_Do you want to-"_

"_No."_

"_But I haven't even-"_

"_You're annoying."_

"_But-"_

"_Sasuke-teme! How dare you tell Sakura-chan she's annoying!!"_

"_Fuck off, dobe."_

"_What did you say, Sasuke-teme?!"_

"_Dobe." _

"_Stop calling me that! You'll pay for it!"_

"_Now, now. Stop it you two."_

"_Shut up, sensei!! The bastard started this!"_

And so it went. Those little conversations which always led Naruto and Sasuke fight, Kakashi-sensei being the one to stop the two, Sai being a complete emotionless bastard. And me never having a chance to ask Sasuke-kun out. It was always like that.

As I was on my way to my kitchen to get some fresh milk, I saw a beautiful blonde woman dressed in a daring outfit standing right outside my house. She was so glamorous I couldn't help but to stare at her. Those sky blue eyes and that flawless skin and the- wait the fucking minute! I know that woman.

Heh, who wouldn't know her? She was the queen of gossip. You tell her something interesting and she blurts it out to everyone in the village.

"Forehead girl!" the blonde yelled.

Sighing, I went to the door and opened it. And there she was. Standing in all her glory with a big, annoying, and infuriating smile stuck on her face. I stared at her for a while, waiting for something to come out of her mouth.

Silence. I glared at her.

"What do you want, Ino-pig? Don't you have a mission or something?"

She smiled.

"Well?"

She smiled again.

"What the fuck is it, Ino? You're wasting my time."

Again, she smiled.

"Ugh. Get the hell away from here, Ino-pig!" I said roughly and slammed the door on her face.

"Sakura!" she yelled again from outside.

Without hesitation, I opened the door again, determined to slap the woman's face so I could put some sense in that fucked-up brain of hers.

"Look, if you aren't going to say something, you better go somewhere else! For God's sake just talk if you-"

"I'm in love, Sakura."

"-want to say something, damn it!"

_I looked at her in disbelief with my mouth fully agape. The bitch says she's in love but I don't care because she's being a bitch and-_

"What did you just say, Ino-pig?" I cut the silence.

She sighed and smiled again, "I said I'm in love, Sakura."

_Ugh. As if I didn't know that! She was so head over heels in love with MY Sasuke-kun. That woman really is a bitch. Saying she's in love when I already know it-Ugh. Everybody knows it, duh. What the hell is her problem? Must she say it in my face and declare a fight all over again? This girl is nuts._

"So?"

She put her hands on her hips and asked, "Aren't you going to help me?"

_I wouldn't care even if her eyes were pleading. Why in God's name would I help a rival? We're both fighting for Sasuke-kun's heart! We have been fighting for Sasuke-kun's love since forever! What if helping her would mean that Sasuke-kun would forever be hers? What if helping her would mean that I'll forever be away from Sasuke-kun? I can't let that happen. I won't let that happen!_

"Who are you to say that? Why would I help you? I'm also in love with him, Ino!" I almost shrieked.

_Ha. In your face, Ino-pig. I won't let you have him! And look at her face right now. It's priceless. She must have been so shocked_; her mouth was gaping so wide. And she was at the verge of crying.

"Y-y-you're also in love with S-Sai?!" her voice went a little higher than before. "I-I kept it from everybody else! I was planning to tell you about it today! But n-now…I guess we're rivals again, huh! I'll never lose to you, forehead!"

_Oh._

"I-I thought you still loved Sasuke-kun! I've given up on him, you know?!" she screamed at me.

_Well what do you know._

"Ino, listen first. Uh…I think I've got it wrong. I thought you were still chasing after Sasuke-kun. I-I didn't think you'd fall for that Sai. I'm… sorry. Really, I am."

"W-what?"

_I sighed. Bless you, my dear rival. Just…bless you. Now a fan girl is officially removed from the Uchiha Sasuke fan club. And there's __**only**__ thousands left to remove. _

"I'm still after Sasuke-kun, Ino. You can have Sai all to yourself."

"So…you don't really like Sai?"

"No, really. He's just a friend and a teammate and a real asshole-"

And she suddenly hugged me.

"You don't really have to hug me, you know."

"I just have to! Now why don't we get inside and have a little talk?" she barged in to my house without even looking at me.

_Little talk, you say._

"Fine, Ino. But this time, don't just smile. Talk."

At the Uchiha compound, Uchiha Mikoto was making lunch for her two sons: Uchiha Sasuke and Uchiha Itachi. Her husband, Uchiha Fugaku, was in an important meeting with the Godaime Hokage.

The shogi door opened and in came the mighty Uchiha Itachi, the eldest son of Mikoto.

"Tadaima." Itachi said politely.

Mikoto stopped what she was doing and went to her son. "Oh, Itachi! You're back early. Have you finished your training already?"

"Hai." He said as he flopped down at the floor mat, leaned his arms on the table, and stared at the wall.

"Lunch will be ready in a few minutes." Mikoto announced as she herself settled next to Itachi.

Silence.

"Where's that brother of yours?" Mikoto asked sweetly.

Itachi continued to stare at the wall as if it were the most interesting thing in the world.

"Out with his team, probably." He replied still staring at the wall, his hands linked together under his chin.

Silence.

His mother seemed to be thinking about something. "Hmmm…Oh, with Hatake Kakashi and that blonde kid? And that guy from the root ANBU, too? What's his name…Sai? Hmmm…what about the other one…the kunoichi? I forgot her name…I'm think it's Sakuno? Am I right?"

Itachi lifted his eyes on the wall and stared unto her mother's loving eyes.

"Haruno Sakura."

"Oh that!" she laughed. "I forgot her name, how stupid of me!" she slapped her forehead.

And Uchiha Itachi continued what he was doing; stare. It's what Uchiha men do. But Uchiha women don't stare at walls. They ask stupid questions.

"She's the apprentice of the Hokage, right? I heard she's really good at medical ninjutsu and I think she's pretty cute, too! Her green eyes are so beautiful. And that pink hair…don't you just think it's adorable? She's really something. It'd be great to have her as a wife, right, Itachi?"

Uchiha Itachi flinched and glared at his mother. Hard. He wanted to kill her right now.

"And Sasuke and Sakura-chan would really look good together; don't you think so?"

"Aa."

The door opened and the youngest son, Uchiha Sasuke went in. He looked curious and a little bit annoyed. "What's this about? I heard Sakura's name. Are you and otou-san going to set me up in a fixed marriage, kaa-san?"

"Sasuke, welcome back. You're just in time-"

"If you are, I definitely won't accept it. Why don't you arrange a wedding of _Itachi_ and _Sakura_ instead? After all, it's about time for aniki to take over as clan head. Otou-san would approve of it, I'm sure. "

"What are you talking a- oh wait. That's a good idea, Sasuke!" her mother's eyes gleamed with surprise, her smile so wide, and her face filled with happiness.

"I'll tell this to your Father later! Oh, he'll be so happy!" She beamed and got up to prepare the food.

Itachi silently stood up and slowly faced his brother. His face as calm as ever. Sasuke glared at him.

"Next time, _try_ to listen to the whole conversation, little brother." Said Itachi as he walked past Sasuke and went straight to his room; his lunch left behind.


	2. Shit

Standard Disclaimer Applied

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Yamanaka Ino, otherwise known as the Gossip Queen, sits hotly on a couch in the Haruno household. With her legs crossed and one of her manicured fingers playing with the ends of her hair, one would think that she's trying to seduce someone. But at this moment, it wasn't working- mainly because the one she tries to seduce is Haruno Sakura.

"Will you stop that, pig? It's so annoying!" Sakura slapped her face in disgust.

What the hell was her friend thinking? Ino was using her to _practice_ her deadly moves because she wanted the attention of Sai. Yeah, I think Sai would definitely end up dead- Ino would kill him because Sai would only stare at her curiously and then leave. I'm sure that would happen.

"What? Will this not work on Sai? I mean, it works on Kiba and Chouji! And all of the other males would have asked me on a date by now! What's wrong with it?!"

Her face was flushed as she blabbered on and on. Heh, what could she do? Sai is an emotionless bastard. He'd never ask her on a date. Hell, he'd never ask any women a date because he doesn't know how. The guy's just impossible like that.

"Listen, Ino. Sai is different from Kiba and Chouji and from all of the other males in Konoha. He's…uh, weird, I guess. Trust me, that won't work on him. He'll just stare at you and leave right then and there."

"So what am I supposed to do? Oh Kami! I need your help, forehead!" she pleaded and shook my shoulders hard.

Sakura released a sigh, "Okay, okay, I know. I'll see what I can do. I'll talk to Sai. Don't worry about it, piggy. "

With that said Ino jumped at me and embraced me. "Thanks a lot, forehead! You're my hero!" she giggled.

I sighed. Stupid Ino.

After the meeting with the Hokage, the head of the Uchiha Clan, Uchiha Fugaku, walked gracefully into the dining room. His wife, Uchiha Mikoto, and his youngest son, Uchiha Sasuke, greeted him politely. He easily noticed that Itachi is nowhere in sight and his wife seemed to be happier than usual.

"Where is Itachi, Sasuke?" Fugaku asked.

"He's in his room, otou-san. He skipped his meal." Sasuke replied.

"Then let us eat."

When the meal has ended, Mikoto asked her husband, "How was the meeting, dear? What did you talk about with the Hokage?"

Fugaku crossed his arms, closed his eyes and replied, "The meeting was about our clan. Since I am getting old, I plan on giving Itachi the position as the head of the clan. I am sure he can do well in maintaining the prosperity in this clan."

Sasuke gaped at his father. _What did he just say? _

"Y-you mean…" Mikoto covered her mouth in shock.

"Hn."

Sasuke stared at his father and smirked.

Somewhere at the forest where Team Seven's training grounds are located, a certain black-haired Root ANBU is busy painting a beautiful landscape. He turned his head to his side when he heard footsteps. When he looked over to who it was, he immediately went back to his work.

"Hey. Have you seen Naruto around?"

Sai fixed his belongings and stood up. He faced the person with an emotionless and fake smile.

"Hello, ugly. I haven't seen dickless today. Are you going to punch him?"

Sakura shook her head and smiled her deadliest smile.

"No, Sai. I'm not going to punch him. What makes you think I'm going to punch him, anyway?"

The man from the ANBU looked at her curiously; he raised his eyebrow at her. Sakura looked at Sai as if he was a little child lost in the middle of war. Still smiling, Sakura stepped forward so she stood at an arm's length in front of Sai.

"Are you…going to punch me instead?" Sai asked, a little frighteningly.

_Ehehehe…_Sakura laughed inwardly, her eyes glinting with mischief.

"Who knows? Maybe I wouldn't because you see, I have a favor to ask of you…and if you refuse, well, maybe I'll have to punch you in the face so _hard _you won't be able to eat in a week."

Sai gulped, his face paler than ever.

"W-what's the favor, Sakura?"

The Haruno grinned and patted Sai at the back. "That's really kind of you, Sai. You see, I have this friend of mine who would like you to teach her how to draw…"

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"So…what do you think, dear?"

"Hn."

"If Itachi marries her, our clan would be stronger than ever! Look at her, she's the Hokage's apprentice and she's a teammate of Sasuke as well! Itachi would definitely take interest in her."

"Hn, you are right. I think it is time for Itachi to have a family of his own. I will speak to the Godaime about this…arrangement."

Uchiha Mikoto smiled in triumph. And Fugaku smirked.

"Hey, teme! Wanna eat ramen?" a loud blonde asked as the Uchiha sat silently beside him at the Ichiraku.

"No." was Sasuke's cold reply. He crossed his arms and glared at Naruto.

Naruto glared in return and put down his bowl of ramen.

"What's your problem now, teme?" he growled.

"………."

"Had a bad mission?"

"………"

"What, did Tsunade-baachan kick your ass?"

"…."

"Did you eat something funny?"

"…"

"Okay, let me guess. Is it about your fucking brother?"

"Hn."

"What the hell, Sasuke??!! What is wrong with you?!! I feel so stupid just talking to you, dattebayo!! Won't you fucking answer me?! Have you lost your tongue?! I think you've gone mad, teme! You're not Sasuke, are you? You're just a fucking genjutsu-"

"I think Sakura's gonna have to marry my brother."

Naruto froze.

Sasuke stood and began to leave.

"W-what did you say, Sasuke?"

"Hn."

"I demand an explanation! What the fuck is going on?!"

"I guess it's my fault…"

Haruno Sakura was focusing on reading a complex book about herbs when somebody barged in to her office. She looked up to see who it was and then stood quickly.

"Ino! What happened?"

The long haired blonde was panting hard and was glaring at her.

"Y...you! Forehead…"

Sakura gulped.

"Ah, Ino-pig. What's wrong?" Sakura tried to sound calm.

Ino giggled.

"Oh dear, Sakura…You'll never guess what happened! It's all thanks to you!"

"Oh…really…"

A loud knock was heard on the door of the Godaime's office.

"Come in."

The person entered and bowed at the Hokage. Shizune bowed to him in respect. The Godaime stopped her writing and turned her head to the person.

"What is it, Uchiha?"

"Hokage-sama, I am here to talk to you about my son, Uchiha Itachi."

Tsunade leaned back on her chair and crossed her arms; seriousness overtaking her.

"Oh, what about him?"

Fugaku's eyes shone darkly and began to talk.

After the _meeting_ with Ino at the hospital, Sakura decided to return to her house to rest. It has already been a tiring day for her. As she turned at a corner, a towering figure came upon her. Surprised, she screamed and punched the person. But her hands met thin air.

"H-huh?" she turned to look who the person was but there was no one in sight.

"Haruno-san."

Sakura shrieked, turned around, and immediately went into fighting position.

The person chuckled and said in a low voice, "The Hokage-sama wishes for you to report at her office this instant."

Sakura looked at the person. _So he's in ANBU. Humph. Nothing special. _

"Sorry…about that. I'll go now. Thanks."

The ANBU poofed as Sakura went to the direction of the Hokage tower.

"Shishou?" Sakura knocked.

The door was opened by Shizune who was holding Ton Ton. Sakura greeted her and went inside. She saw Tsunade drinking tea happily on her desk.

"Come in, come in, Sakura."

"Thank you, shishou. What did you want me for?"

"Oh let's just wait for someone. He'll be here in any minute."

Shizune went beside Tsunade and poured another cup of tea. Tsunade drank.

_Hmmm…what's wrong with shishou today? She seems a little bit weird…and Shizune, too. _Sakura looked curiously at the two. She put a hand on her hip. "What's going on here, shi-

She was cut off suddenly when she heard a loud poof beside her.

"He's here." Tsunade declared. Shizune smiled.

"Greetings, Hokage-sama."

Sakura looked at him. _Oh. He's the ANBU from earlier. I wonder what's going to happen…_

"Now then, let us start."

Seriousness filled the room when Tsunade began to talk.

"I have called you two here because I have a request- oh scratch that, I'm making this a mission. I want you two to pretend to be a couple for a week. You'll have to show Konoha that you're a couple."

Sakura's eyes went wide and her mouth agape. The ANBU stood motionless.

"Eh? But why, shishou?"

"Well, the Council of the Elders says that I'm being too hard on my followers that they won't even have the time to have a family of their own and that the population in this village seems to have decreased. So this is why I'm making _this_ a mission; to show them that what they think is not true! Don't worry! I've also assigned other ninjas to pose as couples, too.

"Ugh, shishou…"

"By the time the council sees this new development; I know for sure they'd stop pestering me! Those stupid maggots…"

Shizune stepped in and spoke, "Don't worry, Sakura. Tsunade-sama made this a mission so it means that you will be paid. It isn't such a big deal, you know."

The pink-haired girl sighed and turned to look at the ANBU beside her. "I'm fine with this. But is he?"

Tsunade turned to the ANBU and asked, "Well? What do you say about this?"

"I have no problem with it, Hokage-sama." The masked ANBU replied.

Sakura stared at him in disbelief.

Tsunade stood and put her hands on her hips. "Well then, take off your mask and greet your new girlfriend." Shizune giggled at the word _girlfriend._

With the order from Tsunade, the ANBU turned to Sakura and slowly took off his mask.

The man stared at her jade orbs with his crimson eyes and smirked.

"Hello, Sakura-san."

Sakura could do nothing more but to stand there and gawk at him.

_It's…it's…S-Sasuke-kun's brother…!_

_Shit. _

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To those who reviewed,

**.Chicii-chan.**

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**yume08**

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Thank you so so so much! Mmwah!

Please leave a review!! Having a review really makes me happy. Thanks everypne for reading. I'll update soon. :)


	3. Portrait

I, _Haruno Sakura_, have never been humiliated in my entire life. I mean, look at this. I stand in front of Sasuke-kun's older brother, with my eyes so wide I thought they would pop out, and my mouth- my mouth! My mouth had never been so stretched that wide before.

Then all of a sudden, I blushed because, you see, I _should_ not stand there gawking at _him. _As the student of the Godaime and as a respected Jounin, I _should _greet him as if he's my lover because the mission given to me---_us _was all about just that.

But then I quickly realized how stupid of a person I am when the stupid words suddenly blurted out of my stupid mouth.

"_Can I pair up with Naruto instead?" _

Seriously, that idiot could be loud and annoying sometimes but he's not that bad. And not to mention he's grown a lot all over the years. He's gotten stronger, smarter, and his looks have developed, too and I think he's cute.

So yeah I definitely think he'd suit this mission, though I want Sasuke-kun to be the one…Really now, Naruto is the best person I could pair up with-

"No." was all Shishou said.

And of course, I could only stand there dumbstruck. I looked at my new _boyfriend _at the corner of my eyes and saw him staring at the Hokage.

Ugh. _Isn't he going to say something? Why is he just standing there staring at Shishou? This sucks._

"Sakura, do me a favor and get out of my office. And take Itachi, will you? The mission begins now."

I looked at my mentor in horror. I could never ever forgive her.

"Fine," I mumbled.

As I turned to leave, I saw Shizune giggle beside Shishou. When she noticed me, she instantly stopped. _Gah! Screw you._

"Oh, and Sakura," Tsunade happily said, "If you try to do anything stupid, I'll have to let you know that you're under supervision. And good luck to you two. Be sweet, ok?"

I left the room. With Itachi.

"So that old hag wanted us to follow those _two, _huh.Man, this sucks. I can't believe you recommended _her _to your parents, you sick bastard! What is wrong with you, dattebayo?! This is all your fault, teme! If Sakura-chan gets raped by your brother I swear I'll unleash Kyuubi and kill you all so slowly!"

"Shut up, dobe. My brother isn't a pervert. He won't touch her or anything."

"Says you! You don't even know what's going on in his freaking mind, dattebayo! He could kill her, you know! Your fucking brother's just as insane as you are!"

"Fuck you. I know this is my fault so shut up already! If things get out of hand, we'll handle it. "

"…fine. Let's deal with this shit."

For once on my life, I honestly don't know what to do. Here I am, walking side by side with Uchiha Itachi, my crush's older brother. I could only wish he was Sasuke-kun. I'd be more than happy if that happened-except that it wasn't happening at all.

I sighed.

"Haruno-san."

I turned to look at Itachi and was so surprised that he was suddenly so close to me. He lifted his right hand and reached for my face. I began to panic.

_God, he's going to kill me. I annoyed the hell out of him and he's really pissed off right now. This is the end. I'll never be able to finish this mission and there'll be no missions ever. My life as a ninja will end right here, right now. He'll use his Sharingan on me and then I'll be dead in a few seconds. _

I closed my eyes and waited for my death. I felt warm fingers under my chin and my head was slightly tilted upwards. Something soft brushed against my right cheek. I hastily opened my eyes and froze.

For a moment I thought this was just a fucking genjutsu because there's no way in hell that he, the great Uchiha Itachi, is pressing his _glorious_ lips against my cheek. But then I realized I wasn't really thinking at all because I was enjoying the _glorious_ moment.

After a few seconds, he pulled away from me, his eyes staring into mine, and said in his monotonous voice, "I'm afraid this mission will have to continue tomorrow. Go home and refresh yourself. I know that you are very tired."

I haven't been able to respond because he was gone in an instant with a loud poof.

_  
_Uzumaki Naruto never liked Uchiha Itachi. He never liked the man because he thinks he's creepy and horrible and emotionless just like his younger brother. He thinks Itachi is incapable of showing affection and of interest because he, the mighty Uzumaki Naruto, believes he's just plain gay-until of course, he sees the bastard hovering in front of his Sakura-chan, planting a soft kiss on her cheek. And they were standing in front of Sakura-chan's house.

He stopped on his tracks and turned to look at Sasuke and noticed the Uchiha has his head turned on another direction.

"Sasuke," Naruto called.

The younger Uchiha looked at him with an annoyed look. "What?"

The blonde glared at the boy. "Fuck you, teme and look at that, you bastard!" Naruto pointed at their female teammate who happens to be glued to the spot and blushing like mad and Itachi's face so dangerously close to hers.

"You said Itachi wouldn't touch her or anything!!" Naruto barked. "Why is he kissing her like that?! The old hag Tsunade told us that the mission would start tomorrow!"

Sasuke's eyes had a frantic look on them when he spotted Itachi kissing Sakura. He could only say the words, _"Oh, god_." before running towards his brother; Sharingan activated, with Naruto following behind him. But before the two could reach the older Uchiha, he was already gone in loud _poof!_

The Uchiha cursed loudly and stopped in front of Sakura. Naruto shook Sakura's shoulders hard. "Sakura-chan, are you ok?! Did he hurt you somewhere? Are you still sane?!"

Sakura pointed at Sasuke as if accusing him of a crime and said, "Y...Your brother…Your brother just fucking kissed me."

"You didn't have to remind me, dammit." He glared at her.

"Sakura-chan, let's eat some ramen so you could forget about this shit!"

She sighed and gave in. "Fine…but you pay."

"What happened at the meeting with the Hokage, dear? How are things going so far with the…arrangement?"

"Everything is up to the Hokage now. She said she will handle it perfectly."

"Oh my, I can't wait to see the results of her hard work! I hope everything will be alright."

"Hn. Everything will be fine."

Sai walked on the streets with Ino a few steps behind him. He carried his drawing materials while Ino was trying her best to take a glimpse every now and then at the said boy.

The Root ANBU told Ino that in order to for him to teach her, she must first have the materials needed. And because Ino didn't have that, they went to shop. After several minutes, they went out of the shop and headed straight ahead to Sai's apartment. But a few yards away from his apartment, the emotionless ANBU stopped.

Ino looked at Sai curiously. "What is it, Sai-kun? What's the problem? Did you forget anything?" she asked.

The man faced her and smiled. "Ino-san, when the time comes that you'll be able to draw portraits as good as mine, you could try and draw _that_." He pointed at the scenery before him. Ino turned to look at the scene he was pointing at and her eyes grew large.

"Oh my fucking Kami-sama," she said, "Is that Sakura I see over th-_ oh my god!_ Th-that's ANBU captain Uchiha Itachi!! Wh-what…he's kissing her?!"

"I think I'll try to draw this tonight," Sai murmured, his eyes shining maliciously.


	4. Set me Free

Sorry for the late update, guys! I just had to rewrite this chapter for like, 4 times? I had to reformat my computer so my files got deleted. But anyway, today's the birthday of Itachi and tomorrow's gonna be my 18th!! I hope you enjoy.

I got inspired by this really cool song, 'The Garden of Everything' by Steve Conte and Maaya Sakamoto. You can download the song at . Search for maaya sakamoto.

**STANDARD DISCLAIMER APPLIED**

"Sakura, explain."

"Huh?" A confused look escaped from Sakura's face. Beside her, Naruto gulped down his fourth bowl of spicy beef ramen. Sasuke glared at the two.

"What am I going to explain, Sasuke-kun?"

The Uchiha twitched. "Yeah, teme, what's she going to explain?" Naruto asked while wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Explain why you did that with my brother."

"That-oh! But I didn't do anything! He was the one who-"

"Exactly. Why didn't you do anything?"

Naruto suddenly stood up and slammed his palms on the table. "What the hell, teme?! You actually wanted Sakura-chan to kiss him back?! I can't believe-"

He was cut off when Sasuke bonked him in the head. "Shut up, dobe. That wasn't what I meant."

He turned and glared at Sakura. "Why didn't you punch him or anything? If it was Naruto, I'm perfectly sure you would have done that."

Sakura pouted. "But Naruto's not like him, you know."

"Hey! I'm far better than him, dattebayo!" Naruto shrieked.

"I'm warning you, Sakura. Don't give in. Especially not to my brother."

"Yeah, Sakura-chan. You don't know what he can do. He's a sick bastard, like this guy over here." Naruto said, pointing to Sasuke.

"But I-

"No buts, Sakura-chan. Listen to us! We're your teammates!"

Sasuke glared hard at Sakura. "You don't ever let him touch you ever again, Sakura."

"Sasuke-kun, we have a mission tomorrow! It's impossible not to-

"Don't let your guard down when with him. He could kill you."

"This mission does not involve killing-

"You could always use that monstrous strength of yours, Sakura-chan! Beat the shit out of him for all I care. Sasuke and I will be watching-

"Quiet, Naruto!" Sasuke shushed him.

The medic nin glared at the two boys. "Watching, huh? So you two are the ones assigned on that role, huh."

"Great. Thanks to you, moron." The Uchiha stared blankly at the blonde.

"What, it's good that she knows about it already! It's for her own good, believe me!" Naruto yelled.

The Haruno stood up and turned to leave but stopped. "I'll do my mission professionally. You two just try anything funny, I'll tell it to shishou." And with that said, she left the two.

Naruto crossed his arms. "Hmph!"

Sasuke scowled.

"Neh, Sasuke? Your brother only kissed Sakura-chan on the cheek and she already looked half in love. Is he a god or something?"

"He's just my brother, Naruto."

"Che! I bet you're jealous." The blonde teased. He received a glare in return.

It was already late when Uchiha Sasuke came home that night. When his mother welcomed him with open arms asking, _"How's your cute teammate Sakura-chan?"_ he could only glare at her and avoided her embrace. He entered the dining hall and frowned at his mother.

"Where's that weasel of a brother of mine?" he asked coldly, a killing intent present on his handsome face.

"Sasuke, "Mikoto scolded, "That's not how you should call your older brother. You should have res–-"

"What is it, Sasuke?"

Uchiha Itachi appeared beside his mother, his face as expressionless as ever.

Sasuke moved forward, his eyes fixed on his brother. His mother had a worried look on her face as she gripped Itachi's arm.

"Why did you kiss her? The mission will _begin_ tomorrow, Itachi. The Hokage _clearly_ told me that." Sasuke spat.

Uchiha Mikoto covered her mouth with her hands and whispered an, "_Oh my_."

"Otouto, we've been told to start as early as possible by the Hokage herself." Itachi said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Sasuke's glare intensified as Itachi turned his back on him and began to walk to his room. He stopped suddenly and turned his head a little sideways.

"Your teammate and I may have begun our mission, Sasuke, but yours doesn't start till tomorrow. If the Godaime _clearly_ told you that, you should have understood." And with that, he smirked and entered his room.

By this time, Sasuke's Sharingan has already been activated and he was glaring so hard he could have sworn his eyes were burning. Mikoto stared at his glaring son.

"Fuck you." Sasuke muttered and went to his own room, never forgetting to deliver a kick at Itachi's door.

"Sasuke! Behave yourself!" Mikoto scolded. She sighed when Sasuke slammed his door. "Hmmm…It seems Sasuke-chan is a little jealous…" Mikoto said thoughtfully.

Haruno Sakura went home like a zombie. She took a shower and got ready for bed. She wore a pink tank top with matching pink short shorts. She dried her hair with a towel and the events that happened that day flooded her mind. Remembering the _kiss_, she sighed and plopped down on her bed.

"Ugh. There is no way in hell HE could have kissed me. This is just a stupid dream. " she told herself and covered her head with a pillow.

A few minutes later, she threw the pillow across the room and buried herself in her blanket.

"_God, please let this be just a dream."_

And then she fell asleep and dreamed.

A black haired Root ANBU was currently holding a beautiful painting. A blonde woman sat beside him, admiring the work.

"It's superb, Sai-kun! You remembered the scene and all its details and painted it perfectly! You're brilliant!" she exclaimed.

The artist smiled at her and said, "Thank you, Ino-san. If you were not here today, I wouldn't be able to paint this. Now I am going to add this to my collection."

Ino blushed. "You're welcome, Sai-kun. "

Wearing a white sundress, I stand in front of a large lake. I look at the center of it and notice that someone is standing on it. I couldn't see who it was because, suddenly, a thick mist enveloped the entire place. Through the mist, however, I see the person's shadow. I call out asking if he or she is alright but there was no answer.

I waited.

A few minutes later, I call out again; no answer.

Thinking this is just some sort of prank; I took a step backwards and turned to leave. After a few steps, I froze.

Someone is calling my name.

_**So here we are lovers of lost dimensions**_

I quickly looked at the direction of the voice; the shadow.

"Sakura."

It was a male's voice. It definitely belongs to a young man's.

_**Burning supernovas, of all sound and sight**_

"Who are you?" I ask.

Silence.

"A–Are you injured? Do you need help?" I ask again.

Silence.

I frowned.

"Why did you call me?"

Silence. And then–

"Help me."

My medic instincts took over me and without hesitation; I focused my chakra at my feet and moved towards the water.

"Don't move wherever you are. I'm coming." I told the stranger.

I ran carefully towards him. When his form caught my eyes, I slowed down until finally, I can see him.

I imagined the person to be bleeding, clutching his sides, and going limp. But what I saw was definitely much more than that.

The person, the stranger, the man, who called out my name, asking for my help, was none other than Uchiha Sasuke himself–with no wounds, bruises, scratches, or blood.

He looked perfectly fine.

_**Every touch, a temptation**_

Before I could even ask him what his problem was, he grabbed my face with both of his hands and kissed me hungrily. And me being in love with him since forever gave in. I kissed him back with all my might. My arms automatically moved around his strong shoulders, holding him tightly as if my life depended on it.

_**And for every sense, a sensation**_

His hands moved everywhere, touching everything. When I pulled away from him to take a breath, I realized we were slowly sinking into the water. I tried to push him away but found that I cannot because his appearance began to change and it struck me. His silky black hair was growing longer, his lust-filled onyx eyes turning into crimson, thin lines forming under his eyes, and his body getting a little taller and more defined.

I froze.

_**Each atom sings to me**_

_**Set me free**_

"You can't leave me." He said in a cold and demanding voice.

I tried to punch him in the gut with my chakra-enhanced fist so I could escape. But his bloody red eyes have already captivated me. I was not able to move a muscle when he suddenly embraced me so tightly and fiercely kissed me. Right then and there, he released the chakra that was focused on his feet and we both sank with great pressure under the cold waters.

_**From chains of the physical**_

_**Oh free me**_

_**Oh free me**_

I wiggled and kicked against his body but it was of no use. He's made of steel. And so we went sinking deeper and deeper into the depths of the lake.

I bit his mouth but he bit mine too, causing me to lose my breath. Finally, he let me go. When I hurriedly swam to the surface for air, he grabbed my feet and pulled me towards him, sinking lower and lower and lower until we hit the bottom.

My heart beat faded away.

"_Sakura."_

I felt strong hands gripping my shoulder. When a cold hand cupped my cheek, I screamed.

My eyes flew open and the first thing I saw was red. I backed away in horror, eventually falling out of the bed; my butt on the floor. I was panting hard as I stared at the red thing which just so happened to be the Sharingan of Uchiha Itachi who is staring back at me with his expressionless and handsome face. I noticed he was wearing normal clothes–black shirt and black pants.

"I am not an enemy, Sakura. You were merely having an unpleasant dream." Is what he said.

Trembling, I stood up, pointed a finger at him, and spoke "You! What are you doing here? Y-You just killed me… Y–you just fucking killed me! You pulled me under the lake and I drowned!!"

He raised an eyebrow at me and said, "You are still alive, Sakura. " He paused. And then, "You should get ready. We will start the mission today."

"What?"

Realizing that, I blushed and looked at the ground embarrassingly. I thought it was all a part of that dream; But no. Because there he is– my partner in this fucked-up mission–Uchiha Itachi–right in front of my eyes. _This could only mean one thing: that kiss was definitely real._

He smirked at me when he noticed I was checking him out. "Get dressed. I'll wait for you downstairs."

Please leave a review and let me know what you think about it. I don't care if you flame me or anything. Just tell me what you think of this story. This is my first time writing a fic so it'll really help if you give me some advices. Thank you.


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